Ghana Football Association (GFA) president Kurt Okraku says he welcomes criticism of his administration as long as it is constructive and aimed at improving the sport.
Mr Okraku acknowledged that criticism is an inevitable part of leading Ghana football, arguing that no GFA president has enjoyed complete peace while in office.
Speaking to Accra-based 3Sports, he said stakeholders should be free to express their views but urged them to ensure their criticism contributes positively to the development of the game.
“It’s okay for people to speak their minds. Like I said at the Congress in Kumasi, I love people who are not only critical but constructive,” Okraku said.
“It’s normal. I don’t think any leader in our football space has enjoyed absolute peace.”
Mr Okraku cited former GFA presidents Kofi Amoah and Kwesi Nyantakyi as examples of administrators who faced strong criticism during their respective tenures.
“President Kofi Amoah, who served as president during the Normalisation Committee, faced fierce criticism during his tenure. President Kwesi Nyantakyi, same,” he said.
Despite the criticism directed at previous administrations, Okraku pointed to Nyantakyi’s achievements, including Ghana’s qualification for the World Cup and an Africa Cup of Nations final, as evidence that football administrators should ultimately be judged by the impact of their work.
“At the end, he took Ghana to the World Cup; he took Ghana to the finals of the AFCON. He did his part, and my job is also to play my part,” Okraku said.
The GFA president said his focus remains on making his contribution to the development of Ghana football, while accepting criticism as part of the responsibility that comes with leading the country’s football governing body.
